Kabbalah Mikha 7:19: Chesed LeAvraham

The concept is that when a person sins, they cause damage above, creating a blemish of judgment and darkness. This blemish attaches itself to the location of the transgression, according to the measure of the sinner's misdeed and its intensity. However, when the sinner confesses their sin, along with the sins of all of Israel, they bring about a purification of the higher attributes, cleansing them of this blemish.Through this act of confession, a specific flow descends from above, removing and cleansing the blemish. This is the meaning of "bearing iniquity and passing over transgression"—a reference to the purifying waters washing away the defilement. As it is written, *"When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and cleansed the blood of Jerusalem from within her midst..."* (Isaiah 4:4). These discarded impurities become sustenance for the external forces (the *klipot*) Thus, it is necessary to confess during prayer, particularly in the blessing of *Shomea Tefilah* ("He who hears prayers"). One should direct their intention to arouse the purifying waters from above, to cleanse all the sins and blemishes affecting the higher attributes and to cause the resulting energy to flow downward. This process will cast out and purify all imperfections. The confession is structured using the *Aleph-Bet* (the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet) to purify each of the 22 letters of the Torah that have been blemished. The Zohar (in *Parashat Pekudei*, Heichal 7) explains this concept: Through this prayer and confession, a portion is allocated to the *other side* (*sitra achra*) to sustain it. This refers to all the sins and transgressions confessed, which are handed over to the *klipot* as sustenance, as in the verse, *"You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea"* (Micah 7:19). These are the external forces that receive the remnants and waste as their portion.